Reputation Management For Athletes

Reputation Management For Athletes

Online reputation management services should be a part of any rising
or established athlete’s arsenal. As any athlete knows, the best defense
is a good offense. Develop a strong reputation management strategy
online to head off negative publicity before it ever starts. Creating a
strong athlete brand management program relies on understanding how the
athlete will be positioned within the sports market that they
participate within. Athlete brand development can be done over time with
the athlete participating in various elements of the sport, their
community, and by interacting thoughtfully with their market. When you
are choosing to work with an athlete sponsorship agency, you must
understand how they are going to drive value for the athlete, more
importantly, how they are going to promote the athlete.

Cream Floats to the Top

The best time to think about reputation management is before you have
one to manage. Develop a strong reputation management strategy by
establishing a positive online persona. Create a present on every
applicable social media forum: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other
outlets where your fans go. Post often, and post positive.

If your schedule does not permit you to keep up a stream of updates,
consider hiring a reputation management firm to help with social media
reputation management. What is social media management? It is simply
assuring that your social media presence is active and portrays you in a
positive light. Social media managers can post inspiring updates,
photos, and questions that spawn positive interactions with fans.

This is not just important for establishing a narrative and
developing loyal fans. It ensures that these pages are the first ones
that will show up in search engines when someone looks for you. Most
people never go past page one of Google results. If you can own the top
results, you have much more control over your own narrative.

If Negative Issues Occur

When negative press occurs, it is important to deal with it quickly.
Stories spread online with lightning speed, and the unwary can quickly
end up with a damaged reputation.

But, there are wrong and right ways to handle negativity on the
Internet. First, never directly respond to negative posts on Twitter or
Facebook. Especially, do not fire back with angry words. This can only
make matters worse.

Instead, consider the services of a reputation management firm. Look
specifically for firms that handle athlete management and sports crisis
management to ensure that you are in experienced hands. Because they are
not emotionally involved, they can make the necessary decisions and
recommendations to help protect your reputation online and in the
outside world.

Scott Fish

Scott Fish is the CMO at Off Road, responsible for the business development team and managing the marketing delivery and client management team. During the past two decades, he has worked with growing companies around the world in evolving industries such as tourism, franchises, hotels, sports associations and cultural organizations. Scott is a founding board member of SEMpdx, the largest regionally focused digital marketing organization in the US. He creates strategies to drive more business and connect better with their customers.